PWF World Heavyweight Championship
The Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) World Heavyweight Championship is one of the three titles that make up the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. It was created in 1973 by All Japan owner Giant Baba, after he won a series of ten matches against Bruno Sammartino (twice - one win, one draw), Terry Funk, Abdullah the Butcher, The Destroyer, Wilbur Snyder (twice - one win, one draw), Don Leo Jonathan, Pat O'Connor and Bobo Brazil.
The title, which had originally been classed as a world title, was downgraded to regional status after All Japan joined the National Wrestling Alliance. In 1989 Jumbo Tsuruta and Stan Hansen would unify this, the NWA United National Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight title to create the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.[1]
Title history
| #: | Name(s): | Reigns: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giant Baba | 1 | February 27, 1973 | Tokyo, Japan | Won a series of 10 matches. |
| 2 | Tor Kamata | 1 | June 1, 1978 | Akita, Japan | |
| 3 | Billy Robinson | 1 | June 12, 1978 | Ichinomiya, Japan | |
| 4 | Abdullah the Butcher | 1 | October 18, 1978 | Utsunomiya, Japan | |
| 5 | Giant Baba | 2 | February 10, 1979 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| 6 | Harley Race | 1 | October 26, 1982 | Obihiro, Japan | |
| 7 | Giant Baba | 3 | February 11, 1983 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |
| 8 | Stan Hansen | 1 | September 8, 1983 | Chiba, Japan | |
| 9 | Giant Baba | 4 | July 31, 1984 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| 10 | Stan Hansen | 2 | July 30, 1985 | Fukuoka, Japan | |
| 11 | Riki Chōshū | 1 | April 5, 1986 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Vacated in March, 1987 when Chōshū leaves for New Japan Pro Wrestling. | |||||
| 12 | Stan Hansen | 3 | April 24, 1987 | Yokohama, Japan | Defeated Hiroshi Wajima in a decision match. |
| 13 | Genichiro Tenryu | 1 | March 9, 1988 | Yokohama, Japan | Also held the NWA United National Championship. |
| 14 | Stan Hansen | 4 | July 27, 1988 | Nagano, Japan | Won the PWF World Heavyweight and NWA United National Championship. |
| 15 | Jumbo Tsuruta | 1 | April 18, 1989 | Tokyo, Japan | Tsuruta, the NWA International Heavyweight Champion defeated Hansen. |
| The PWF World Heavyweight Championship, NWA International Heavyweight Championship and NWA United National Championship unified to become the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. | |||||
List of combined reigns
| Rank | Wrestler | # of Reigns | Combined Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giant Baba | 4 | 3,817 |
| 2 | Stan Hansen | 4 | 1,134 |
| 3 | Riki Chōshū | 1 | 329 |
| 4 | Genichiro Tenryu | 1 | 140 |
| 5 | Billy Robinson | 1 | 128 |
| 6 | Abdullah the Butcher | 1 | 115 |
| 7 | Harley Race | 1 | 108 |
| 8 | Tor Kamata | 1 | 11 |
| 9 | Jumbo Tsuruta | 1 | <1 |
Statistics
- Longest Reign: Giant Baba (5 years, 5 months, 5 days)
- Shortest Reign: Jumbo Tsuruta (<1 day)
- Most Reigns: Stan Hansen and Giant Baba (4 each)
See also
References
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.